Futility Closet

Kaprekar’s Constant

Posted in Science & Math by Greg Ross on November 30th, 2007

Choose four distinct digits and arrange them into the largest and smallest numbers possible (e.g., 9751 and 1579). Subtract the smaller from the larger to produce a new number (9751 - 1579 = 8172) and repeat the operation.

Within seven iterations you'll always arrive at 6174. With three-digit numbers you'll aways arrive at 495. A similar technique works with words.